How to Play Peg Solitaire

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Peg Solitaire is a single-player puzzle played on a cross-shaped board of 33 holes, filled at the start with 32 pegs and one empty space at the centre. The challenge is deceptively simple to state but takes real thought to solve: clear the board down to one peg through a strict sequence of jumps.

Its appeal is that a game fits in five to fifteen minutes, yet mastering it demands logical planning rather than luck. It is a staple of living rooms, waiting rooms and travel bags across the UK, and is typically played on a wooden board with marble or wooden pegs.

A little history

The origins of Peg Solitaire are not entirely clear. It appears in European records from the late seventeenth century, and a French engraving from around 1697 depicts a player at a solitaire board, making France a likely early home for the game. It became fashionable in European courts during the eighteenth century and spread widely across Britain during the nineteenth century. The standard 33-hole English board that most players know today was traditionally the most popular form in the UK, distinct from the 37-hole French board used on the continent.

Setting up

1. Place the board on a flat surface with the cross shape oriented so one arm points towards you.
2. Fill every hole on the board with a peg.
3. Remove the single peg from the centre hole (position d4 on a labelled board, the very middle of the cross). That hole is now empty and play can begin.

How to play

1. You are the only player. There are no turns shared with an opponent.
2. A legal move consists of one peg jumping over an immediately adjacent peg into an empty hole directly beyond it.
3. Jumps may be made horizontally or vertically only. Diagonal jumps are not permitted.
4. The peg that was jumped over is removed from the board immediately after the jump.
5. Only one peg moves per turn; chain or multiple jumps in a single turn are not allowed under standard rules.
6. You must make a jump on every turn. If a jump is available you cannot pass.
7. Continue making one jump per turn, removing jumped pegs each time, until no further legal jumps are possible.
8. Count the pegs remaining. The fewer pegs left, the better the result. A single peg remaining is a solved board.

Winning and scoring

The game is won outright when exactly one peg remains on the board. For the perfect solution, that final peg should come to rest in the centre hole, the same position that was empty at the start. If you finish with more than one peg but no legal moves remain, the game is over and the number of pegs left is your score: lower is better. Most players consider finishing with two or three pegs a respectable result until they have studied the puzzle further.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns whether a peg may jump over a hole rather than a peg. It cannot: a jump is only legal when the intermediate position holds a peg that will be removed. Jumping over an empty hole is not a valid move under any standard ruleset. A second common question is whether you must take a jump if one is available. The answer is yes: if a legal move exists, you must make one. You cannot choose to sit still and pass your turn.

Some players ask whether you may undo a move if you spot a mistake. Peg Solitaire has no formal undo rule in competitive or timed contexts, but for casual solo play most people allow themselves to take back moves freely, since the point is to work through the puzzle. Agree your own house rule before you start if playing against the clock or scoring across multiple attempts.

How to win more often

• Work from the outside inward: clearing pegs from the arms of the cross early prevents them becoming stranded with no valid jump available later.
• Keep the board balanced. If one quadrant empties much faster than the others, you will likely create isolated pegs with no neighbours to jump over.
• Look two or three moves ahead before committing. A jump that looks good now can leave a peg completely isolated on the very next move.
• Aim to preserve a cluster of pegs near the centre for as long as possible. The final sequence of moves almost always depends on having material in the middle to jump through.
• If you are stuck with multiple pegs remaining, set the board up again and try a completely different opening sequence. There are many paths to the solution and fresh eyes on the opening moves often reveal what was blocked before.

Variations

French Board (37 holes)

The French or European board adds four extra holes, one in each of the re-entrant corners of the cross shape, giving a larger 37-hole playing area. The extra holes create additional move options and change the solution strategy considerably. The starting empty hole is still the centre. This format is more common in continental Europe than in the UK.

Complement Puzzle

Instead of starting with the centre empty, you remove a different peg at the start and challenge yourself to finish with a single peg in that same position. For example, remove a corner peg of one arm and try to finish there. Some of these complement problems are solvable and some are provably impossible, making them an interesting extension for players who have already solved the standard game.

Timed Challenge

Two or more players each have their own board set up identically. On a count of three, everyone begins. The first player to clear the board to one peg, or the player with the fewest pegs remaining when the agreed time limit expires, wins. This turns a reflective solo puzzle into a lively competitive exercise suitable for families.

Partial Clear Targets

Rather than aiming for a full solution, players set a target number of pegs to reach, for example five, and compete over multiple rounds to hit or beat that target. Each round the target is reduced by one. This graduated approach suits younger players or beginners who would find a full board solve too daunting at first.

Peg Solitaire: frequently asked questions